Our science
Ecomechanics of marine larvae
Dispersal and settlement of shoreline invertebrates
Propagule dispersal is one of the key processes that links marine populations, and is a major area of inquiry (some scientists have called it “the biggest black box in marine ecology”). Our group studies how agents of ocean transport drive dispersal of invertebrate larvae, and ways in which combinations of physical factors influence settlement of larvae into shoreline habitat.
Pluteus larva of a purple sea urchin. Photo: Jason Hodin
Selected publications (go here for pdfs)
Hodin, J., M.C. Ferner, and B. Gaylord. 2020. Choosing the right home: settlement responses by larvae of six sea urchin species align with hydrodynamic traits of their contrasting adult habitats. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 190: 737-756.
Ferner, M.C., J. Hodin, G. Ng, and B. Gaylord. 2019. Brief exposure to intense turbulence induces a sustained life-history shift in echinoids. Journal of Experimental Biology 222: jeb187351, doi:10.1242/jeb.187351.
Hodin, J., M.C. Ferner, G. Ng, and B. Gaylord. 2018. Turbulence exposure recapitulates desperate behavior in late-stage sand dollar larvae. BMC Zoology 3: 9, doi.org/10.1186/s40850-018-0034-5.
Hodin, J., M.C. Ferner, A. Heyland, and B. Gaylord. 2018. I feel that! Fluid dynamics and sensory aspects of larval settlement across scales. Pages 190-206 in T.J. Carrier, A.M. Reitzel, A. Heyland (eds.), Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Invertebrate Larvae. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
Gaylord, B., J. Hodin, and M.C. Ferner. 2013. Turbulent shear spurs settlement in larval sea urchins. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 110: 6901-6906.
Nickols, K.J., B. Gaylord, and J.L. Largier. 2012. The coastal boundary layer: Predictable current structure decreases alongshore transport and alters scales of dispersal. Marine Ecology Progress Series 464: 17-35.
Gaines, S.D., B. Gaylord, L.R. Gerber, A. Hastings, and B. Kinlan. 2007. Connecting places: The ecological consequences of dispersal in the sea. Oceanography 20: 90-99.
Siegel, D.A., B.P. Kinlan, B. Gaylord, and S.D. Gaines. 2003. Lagrangian descriptions of marine larval dispersion. Marine Ecology Progress Series 260: 83-96.
Gaylord, B., and S.D. Gaines. 2000. Temperature or transport? Range limits in marine species mediated solely by flow. American Naturalist 155: 769-789.